Dark Crusade: Lukas' Folly
by Bladex1200
Summary: Governor-Militant Lukas Alexander must claim Kronus in the name of the God-Emperor. All that stands in his way are heretics, Xenos, and the traitorous Blood Ravens. Based on the Dark Crusade game, but takes artistic liberties with it. Read and review!
1. Victory Bay

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Warhammer 40,000 nor do I own the Dawn of War series. Games Workshop owns the Warhammer 40,000 universe, and Relic Entertainment and THQ own the Dawn of War series. Enjoy the story.

Governor-Militant Lukas Alexander stood at the edge of a cliff, looking over his forces occupying Victory Bay. He knew his orders from Segmentum Command, but he also knew of a rather... different adversary he was to face on Kronus: the Blood Ravens. Space Marines. The Emperor's Fist; the Emperor's Finest. He still could not believe what had happened only a few days ago, when the two Imperial forces had met in the neutral ground between Victory Bay and North Vandea.

**_Three Days Earlier..._**

_"Governor Alexander, I will say this once, and once only," Brother-Captain Davian Thule wore a face radiating displeasure, though this was not uncommon for any Space Marine, "You must leave Kronus. Take your forces elsewhere. I'm sure the Imperial Guard is needed on some other world. Reports are coming in from the Kaurava system about more insurrections, and I am sure the Sisters of Battle would appreciate your help."_

_"For the last time, Brother-Captain, I will not stand down," Alexander stood several inches shorter than the bulky Space Marine, but somehow seemed intimidating as he looked up at Thule, "My men and I have our orders from Segmentum Command. I am offering to support your forces with your relic missive so long as you allow the Imperial Guard to occupy Kronus after this is all over. Once again, will you accept this deal?"_

_Thule, sensing he could not sway the Governor-Militant on the matter, shook his head and muttered quietly, "Very well, Alexander. You have sealed your death. May you go with the Emperor's Blessing. You will need it."_

_Turning towards his Space Marines, Thule ordered them to stand at attention and began speaking._

_"Brothers," he said, "We are not traitors to the Imperium. We are loyal to the God-Emperor, and that is why we must do this. Governor Alexander has refused to back down from combat, and so we shall meet him there. You know as well as I do that there are relics hidden under Kronus - relics from the early years of the Blood Ravens. We must secure these in the name of our Chapter, lest we let them fall to the enemy. Make no mistake, I do not cherish fighting the Imperial Guard Forces here on Kronus, but if we must fight them alongside the other heretics and xenos that plague this land, then we shall. For the Chapter! For the glory of the God-Emperor!"_

_Cheers erupted from the ranks of the Space Marines as Thule concluded his speech. He turned, saluting Alexander, before walking down the steps marking the edge of neutral ground and rejoining his Space Marines. Those without helmets gave Alexander cold looks, but they saluted him all the same. Alexander saluted back, turning to his own men._

_"Soldiers of the Imperial Guard," his voice rang out among the scores of guardsmen and tanks, "Segmentum Command has seen fit to give us a mission, one we cannot fail. This world is plagued by xenos and heretics, and we must liberate it in the name of the God-Emperor. The Blood Ravens see to deny us this land, and we shall fight them with the same zeal that we have every other enemy of the Imperium. I respect Brother-Captain Davian Thule, and I respect the Space Marines. But WE are in the right! This is OUR planet! Kronus must always be under the protection of the Imperium, and WE are their hand. I do not like what may be coming, but we shall face the dangers of tomorrow with the Emperor's Blessing at our side! For the Imperium! For the glory of the God-Emperor!"_

_Alexander's men nodded and cheered as he saluted them and walked down his own steps, hitching a ride on board a Baneblade supplied by the Adeptus Mechanicus. The battle lines had been drawn, and blood was ready to be spilled._

**_It is the 41st Millennium, and there is no peace to be found on Kronus. It is the 41st Millennium, and there is only WAR._**

**_Present Day..._**

Governor Alexander was snapped out of his thoughts by a Techpriest, who lightly tapped him on his shoulder with one of his mechanical appendages. He quietly turned around, the alien sun providing a brilliant backdrop as Alexander saluted the Enginseer.

"What is it, Techpriest?" he asked.

"Governor-Militant," he bowed, then nodded at him, "Our fortifications of Victory Bay are nearly complete. The Titan Cannon that we found is fully operational and will be available for use during your campaign. Use caution: the weapon is not 100% fully calibrated, so it may be slightly inaccurate. My fellow Techpriests and I have come to a consensus: minimum 100 meters clear before firing."

"And what of the base defenses?" Alexander turned to look at the imposing Titan Cannon, providing the only visible marker of the base for miles, with trees and other foliage obscuring the rest of the structures.

"The turrets and structures you requisitioned have been completed," the Techpriest answered, his mechanical limbs flailing robotically, "And the local PDF defense forces have been conscripted to defend the base whilst you proceed with your attacks."

"Thank you," Alexander turned to look back at the star one more time, pausing momentarily, "Techpriest, what is your name?"

The half-man, half-robot turned to leave before hearing Alexander ask him for his name. His limbs seemed to flail in confusion. Why such a trivial question?

"I... I have no name," the Techpriest answered, confused, "I am but a humble servant of the Emperor and the Omnissiah..."

"Surely you have a name for the records," Alexander turned to him, his eyebrows raised in disbelief.

"Ah," the Enginseer appeared more comfortable, "My designation is Techpriest Enginseer, and my 'name' is Tavos Archien."

"Tavos," Alexander seemed baffled, "Where did you get your name?"

"It is of little consequence," the Enginseer dismissed the question and turned to leave, but felt Alexander's eyes boring into him, "But I supposed you of all people have the right to know. I grew up on a feral world. Technology was little more than magic there."

He turned to Alexander, "Tavos was my father's name, and his father's. It was one of the feral traditions we had before the Imperium came to our planet... Before the Space Marines came..."

"What planet?" Alexander motioned for him to walk with him back to base.

"Integrous," the Enginseer answered. He thanked the Omnissiah for having his tear ducts removed, so that the Governor-Militant would not see him tearing up at the mention of his home world. He paused for a long while, though Alexander scarcely seemed to notice, before continuing, "The Inquisition ordered an Exterminatus there after some of the more aggressive ferals attacked the Space Marines. I was off-planet at the time, studying on Mars with the other Integrous' recruits for the Adeptus Mechanicus. We were the only survivors of the Exterminatus."

"What of Guardsmen, Marines, other soldiers?" Alexander asked, astonished, "Surely there were other recruits besides Techpriests?"

"Our planet was one of peace," Tavos responded, "We never wanted to fight, so the Imperium saw little use for us. The Mechanicus, however, was impressed with our mechanics skills - better than usual for ferals - and with our reverence for machines, which we worshipped as gifts from gods. They sheltered us... But that is another story."

"I see..." Alexander nodded at him when they arrived at the base, "Tavos, you're a good man. Come with me to my quarters. I have some business to attend to that involves you."

"Of course, Governor-Militant," Tavos followed Alexander past the maze of concrete structures that permeated the once-dead Victory Bay. One of the rather positive side effects of the Imperial Guard's stay on the planet was the revitalization of the planet's economy - Victory Bay being the model manufactorium. Governor Alexander and the Techpriests hoped to restore other factories, currently under xenos and heretic control, back to working condition as a sign of praise and reverence to the Imperium and the God-Emperor, as well as to bolster their burgeoning economy and resources. The Imperial Guard needed more weapons, more ammunition, more armor, and - most of all - more vehicles to continue its war effort.

As they arrived at the imposing Administorium building, Alexander saluted the guards and nodded them to let him by. Tavos shivered as the guards gave him dirty looks. He knew where he wasn't wanted - some of the Imperial Guardsmen were staunch infantry-goers and despised vehicular combat, calling it "cowardly".

Approaching Alexander's main office, they ran into the head commissar and field general of the campaign: Anton Gebbet. A gruff, stubby man, he nevertheless commanded respect and admiration from those who served under him. Though he had executed many Guardsmen, he was not of the same breed nor caliber as the average commissar. He cared about his men, and it showed in the way he acted, the way he spoke - even the way he carried himself gave him an air of dignity that seemed to escape the lower, more gritty officers.

"Ah, always a pleasure to see you, Commissar Gebbet," Alexander shook his hand firmly, "I'm just bringing Tavos here back to my office. I'm assigning him a new post."

"Tavos?" Commissar Gebbet raised an eyebrow, "The Techpriest?"

"Ah, I forgot to introduce you," Alexander stood aside the two men, "Commissar Anton Gebbet, I'm sure needs no introduction. Gebbet, meet Techpriest Enginseer Tavos Archien. He's the main field overseer, but he's part of the Techpriest Council that is overseeing this operation's logistics and equipment."

"Of course, it's good to meet you," Tavos shook the commissar's hand, though his facial twitches betrayed his nervousness. It was a good thing then, he decided later, that he had his breath mask on at the time. Gebbet grinned at him, slapping him on the shoulder.

"Always good to see a Techpriest," Gebbet's smile made Tavos shift uncomfortably, but it was genuine, "So, what's this new post you're getting?"

"Governor Alexander has yet to inform me," Tavos replied, breaking off the handshake and holding his hands reservedly at his back, "I hope he has found my performance with the Adeptus Mechanicus to be satisfactory."

"More than satisfactory," Alexander cut in, "Come Anton, might as well discuss battle plans in my office while I'm signing off on Tavos' new post."

The trio continued down the hallway and arrived at a huge, Gothic-styled door while opened to a spacious office, Governor-Militant Lukas Alexander's office. Inside, a fire quietly burned to the side of the room, surrounded by comfortable chairs, whilst the rest of his furniture was still in huge, metal crates, waiting to be unpacked as soon as the campaign was finished. Though sparsely furnished, the room looked impressive. Alexander approached the center desk and sat down, motioning for the other two to take their seats. Alexander motioned for a nearby servitor to approach him, and filled its built-in writing implements with ink as well as paper. He began reciting off several lines.

"Official Communiqué, Governor-Militant Lukas Alexander," his voice was soft, but steady, "1st Kronus Liberators. To: Segmentum High Command. Forward: Adeptus Mechanicus Headquarters. Begin Message. This is Governor-Militant Lukas Alexander. I have recently come into contact with one of the Techpriest Enginseers assigned to this campaign: Tavos Archien. As I require a field Techpriest to oversee the repairs and construction of my forward bases during the campaign, I am promoting Mr. Archien to the position of Command Squad Lieutenant. His official rank will be as follows: Techpriest Lieutenant Tavos Archien. He is to remain with me for the duration of the campaign, after which I will judge his performance as a field lieutenant and provide a full report and suggestions for his next post. Sincerely, Governor-Militant Lukas Alexander. The Emperor Protects."

Alexander nodded at the servitor to stop writing, and it finished the letter, dropping it gently onto Alexander's desk. Stamping it with the Imperial seal of approval, he ordered the servitor to take it to the communication's office and have it sent out immediately. After the servitor left the room, Alexander turned back to his two guests.

"So, Tavos, your promotion is official," he relaxed in his chair, silently offering them cigars and cognac, both of which they declined, "Alright, down to business then. We'll be heading for the Chaos Marines first. We'll proceed down the Morriah Coast and establish a forward base. I understand that we're the late arrivals here, Anton?"

"Yes," Anton pulled a map from his greatcoat, frowning as he unrolled it on top of Alexander's desk, "I've had my men assemble a full map with force estimates based on the scans our ships did in orbit. As you can see, we aren't having the greatest start. Morriah and the other lower territories are Chaos-controlled. Their main base is in the Deimos Peninsula. Any scouts we've sent haven't returned, but orbital scans show that they may be summoning demons there. I wouldn't be surprised if they have a fully-fledged Warp Gate set up. We'll need to clear them out if we're to have any chance of taking this planet."

"Any suggestions?" Alexander leaned forward in his chair, peering at the map.

"If I may interject, sir," Tavos spoke up.

"Of course, of course," Gebbet leaned back, allowing the Techpriest access to the map.

"My fellow Techpriests have reports from scans that show various units scattered throughout the area," Tavos paused, his mechanical limbs opening up a projector on his left shoulder, which shone a dim overlay of the various squads and vehicles scattered throughout the province, "The Imperial Guard has termed these men 'Honor Guards' and has requested that you make sure to extract them from the territories as you take them over. They'll be automatically assigned to you as soon as they're freed and the territories are under our control. It would be most prudent to sweep down through the Chaos-controlled territories before attempting to attack the Peninsula, as our forces are currently insufficient to mount a full assault."

"Hmm..." Alexander nodded, "Good point. Commissar Gebbet, do you have any attack suggestions?"

"Based on Lieutenant Archien's projections," Gebbet pointed at several of the territories, "I would suggest sweeping down through the Morriah Coast and into the Murad Swamplands. From there, we can expand out to the other Chaos-controlled provinces and then consolidate our hold with a full-out attack on the Peninsula."

"So it's agreed, then," Alexander got up, rolling up the map, "We'll ride out for the Morriah Coast tomorrow morning and set up a base camp. Hopefully the Chaos forces on this planet haven't been alerted to our presence yet, and we'll be able to take the area with little bloodshed."

**_At the Deimos Peninsula..._**

"Eliphas! Eliphas!" one of the cultists scurried across the warped landscape of the Deimos Peninsula, carrying important news. He tripped over one of the rocks jutting out of the ground, falling onto his face and scraping much of his skin. Ignoring the pain, he bowed to Eliphas the Inheritor and began speaking, "Master! Master! Scouts have told us!"

"Told you what, whelp?" Eliphas turned around from his prayers to the Chaos Gods. Displeased, he drew his sword, slashing it across the cultist's cheek. The blood he drew satisfied him, but he remained angry and kicked at the cultist, "What did they say?"

"Master," the cultist smiled, his deformed teeth evoking disgust from the Inheritor, "The Imperial Guard. They have landed here!"

"WHAT?" Eliphas flew into a rage, "Those fools are going to ruin everything! Send a detachment of Raptors and Bezerkers at once! Make sure the Guardsmen know the power of CHAOS UNDIVIDED!"

"Of course, master!" the cultist scampered off, glad Eliphas had given him such an important message instead of senselessly slaughtering him. He called out for a Rhino to assist him, but the Chaos Marines inside merely snorted at him and sped off, leaving him coughing and frowning at his bad luck. He thought little of it, however, and began walking towards the Morriah Coast. It would take quite a while for him to get there, especially on foot...

**End Chapter 1**

**Author's Note: **I hope you enjoyed the story. Please don't hesitate to leave a review so I know what I'm doing well on and what I need help with. Thanks!


	2. The Morriah Coast: Part 1

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Warhammer 40,000 nor do I own the Dawn of War series. Games Workshop owns the Warhammer 40,000 universe, and Relic Entertainment and THQ own the Dawn of War series. Enjoy the story.

"I'm telling you man, it's all about the Salamanders!"

"Get out of here, everyone knows the Raven Guard are the most badass!"

"What about the-"

"Will you all shut up back there?" one of the lower commissars turned his head, raising his pistol threateningly, "Or do I need to shoot you all?"

The men went silent.

The march down from Victory Bay to the Morriah Coast was exhausting. The midday heat beat down upon the men, sapping them of their strength. Governor-Militant Lukas Alexander and his command squad marched proudly in the front of the regiment, spearheading the operation. Though the men were confident that glorious battles were not far ahead, they still itched for combat. This itch, this need, made them vulnerable. It made them weak. And they would pay for this weakness with their lives.

"Tell the men to hold up, sir," Commissar Anton Gebbet motioned for Alexander to halt the army. Alexander nodded, and the men and vehicles groaned to a stop, rendering the landscape eerily quiet. Anton walked forward carefully, his eyes trained on the ground ahead. He spied a twinkle, and called Tavos over.

"Lieutenant Archien," Gebbet pointed at the glinting metal, "Can you confirm that you see that?"

"Yes sir," Tavos replied, "Minefield, sir. Should we have the men open fire and clear the field out?"

"No," Gebbet said, "It's the safest method, but also the loudest. We can't afford to give away our position here, not deep in Chaos territory. We'll need to proceed with caution. Do we have a psyker available?"

Tavos looked back, his mechanically-enhanced eyes scanning the legions of men and vehicles, all standing straight and at attention. He groaned when he found no presence of a psyker, and turned back to Gebbet.

"Looks like we'll have to detonate the mines somehow," Tavos drew a grenade, looking to Gebbet for the order.

"Very well," Gebbet replied, but he grabbed Tavos' arm, "Tell the men to ready up first. There might be some cultists waiting in ambush for us to detonate the mines."

"Governor," Tavos raised his grenade, "Tell the men to ready up."

Alexander raised his fist, and pointed at the field ahead. Rustling was heard as his men raised their rifles, their vehicles arming their deadly cannons and flamethrowers.

Tavos threw the grenade.

"For Chaos! Blood for the Blood god!" as expected, cultists spewed out of the nearby foliage, some caught off guard by the wrong timing and shredded by late-detonating mines. As the cultists swarmed out, Gebbet grit his teeth as he saw several Raptor legions and Chaos Marine squads assisting them. So Eliphas knew. Gebbet drew his bolt pistol - personally engraved with a Krieg gas mask as a memento from his service with the Krieg - and aimed. He squeezed the trigger, cultist after cultist exploding in waves of crimson and flesh.

"Stay close men!" Alexander drew his power claws, jumping into a swam of cultists, cutting them apart, "Don't scatter! Power in numbers!"

The lower commissars relayed his message throughout the regiment, and soon the men were forming tight boxes. The inner men fired over the heads of the boxes' edges, and the outer men stuck out their bayonets, impaling any cultist unfortunate enough or stupid enough to run close to the formations. Next to the boxes, Hellhounds mounted devastating offensives with their flamethrowers, burning many a cultist alive and driving away many more with the mere threat of the Emperor's justice. But it seemed like the waves would never end. If this was Eliphas' first warning, then he sure knew what he was doing...

"Men, advance!" Lukas paused, beheading a cultist with his power claws before pulling out of close combat, firing his bolt pistol all the while, "Stay in box formation! Let the vehicles cover you! Don't approach the Chaos Marines or the Raptors!"

But it was too late. The formations began faltering as bolter fire thinned the outer lines. The men spotted Chaos Marines, armed with heavy weapons and rocket launchers, decimating the frontal formations and vehicles. Taking shelter behind some of the wrecks, they continued firing relentlessly in the hope that the Chaos Marines would be dissuaded from getting any closer. Unfortunately, they failed to account for the Raptors.

"Incoming!" Gebbet swiveled around and shot a Raptor in the head, dazing it for a moment and allowing him to draw his power sword, running him through, "Stay in formation! Push back against the Raptors! Don't let them herd you outside cover!"

But his orders fell upon deaf ears as men suddenly broke rank, intimidated by the Raptors' fierce and bold offensive. Commissars began firing into their own men, desperately trying to maintain a sense of order through fear. But all their executions merely resulted in quicker deaths, as the men continued to scatter. Lukas himself became separated from his command squad, and fearing for the worst, he quickly began scanning the battlefield for Tavos and Anton. The battle-weary commissar ran over to him, covering his movements with well-placed bolt shots at the advancing Chaos Marines.

"Where's Lieutenant Archien?" Anton paused to reload, quickly stabbing an oncoming cultist, "He'll get destroyed out here!"

"I don't know!" Alexander whipped his power claws around himself, showering both him and Anton with the blood of Raptors and cultists alike, "We'll have to pull back! The men are scattering, and our vehicles are too valuable to leave stranded!"

"What about Tavos?" Anton yelled over the deafening explosions of cannon fire from the Leman Russes bringing up the rear of the regiment. The Chaos Marines, despite seeing themselves outgunned by the tanks, continued advancing, cutting down the infantry unwise enough to stay in the front of the regiment lines. As the infantry slowly moved back, firing away, Lukas and Anton began frantically searching dead bodies as they too retreated. Though they found no signs of Tavos, which Lukas took as a sign he lived, their spirits fell as they saw the humiliation before them. The campaign had just begun, and already over 1,500 guardsmen - along with 25 vehicles - were incapable of fighting, or dead. Gebbet, after retreating almost a half mile, decided he'd had enough. Halting to the confused face of Alexander, he refused to move a step further.

"If I am to die, I will die standing here," Gebbet raised his bolt pistol and began firing into the endless lines of Chaos Marines, the shots punctuated by the shell fire of the tanks in the rear, "Go, Alexander. Your men need you."

"I did not bring you here to see your life wasted, Gebbet!" Alexander shook his head, calling back to the retreating guardsmen, "Men, if you truly are the hammer of the Emperor, stand with me! Stand with your leader and your beloved commissar! Die for your cause, or you shall be living for nothing!"

Some of the men halted in their tracks, emboldened by the Governor-Militant's words. Turning, they called for their squad mates to follow, and soon the army was on the offensive yet again. The Leman Russ tanks began making up for lost ground, eventually overtaking the infantry and clashing with the Raptors.

"Hah!" Gebbet chortled, "Look at the Raptors run! Not so tough when you're facing the might of the Adeptus Mechanicus, are you?"

"Retreat!" the Raptors called out to each other, "We will fight again another day! You have brought the wrath of Chaos upon you! Chaos Undivided will conquer you! It will destroy you! You may have won today, but tomorrow will see your heads piled high outside Eliphas' Stronghold! For Chaos!"

As the Chaos troops continued their mass retreat, the guardsmen in the front ranks continued laying down volleys of laser fire upon them, scorching the armor of some - liquefying the decaying organs of others. As the dust settled, Alexander remembered once more that Tavos was missing, and began frantically searching alongside Gebbet for his body. At least, if he found it, he would be at peace with himself.

"Sir," Anton sounded astonished, "Sir, I've found him!"

Alexander ran over to a crater where a Leman Russ shell had torn apart several Raptors, and his mouth gaped at the carnage he saw.

In the crater lay Tavos, his breathing shallow, but present. His pistol was laying by his side, the magazine ejected, the barrel smoking. The long, spear-like multi-tool that he carried with him - useful for constructing and maintaining buildings and vehicles - was marred with blood and the flesh of the heretics, and beside him lay the bodies of nearly a half-dozen cultists and several Chaos Marines. Tavos looked up at the two men, his eyes shining.

"I-I'm sorry I failed, sir," Tavos gasped for breath, seemingly drowning despite there being air all around him, "I... I'll do better next time... I'll..."

He stopped, heaving. Tearing his mouthpiece off, he puked up what looked to be a lot of blood before sitting there, trying to catch his breath, "I'll do better. I'm sorry for getting hurt, sir."

"There's nothing to be sorry about," Anton grabbed his arm, pulling him up, "You did fine. The Emperor wouldn't ask for more."

Tavos smiled, an action clearly alien to his facial features, the blood on his mouth failing to hide the metallic nature of his lower jaw, "Y-you really think so?"

"He's proud of you, Lieutenant," Alexander nodded at him, grabbing his las pistol off the ground, "Oh, you forgot this. I'm sure you'll need it for the days ahead."

"O-of course sir," Tavos gasped again, kneeling down, "I... don't feel too well."

"Medic! Get a medic over here!" Anton waved at the guardsmen, who were busy checking the dead, grabbing their tags, ammunition, and whatever else they could scavenge. The remaining commissars attempted to help as best they could, saying silent prayers and closing the eyes of the dead guardsmen who had done their duty without fault. The hum of the supporting vehicles was steady in the background, as the supply trucks and tanks alike rolled up and began searching the perimeter for more enemies, and any wounded allies. One of the guardsmen ran over, carrying a medikit.

"Sir," the guardsmen knelt next to Tavos, unpinning the Techpriest's outer garbs and assessing the damage, "I'm not an expert on biomechanics, but I think one of his lungs is busted. I'll try and patch up the smaller wounds, but unless you get that lung looked at he isn't going anywhere fast."

Alexander nodded as the guardsman began disinfecting and bandaging the scrapes and cuts that Tavos had on his fleshy right arm and his shoulders, and cleaning up the putrid blood that stained his face. Tavos, for the most part, remained passive, resigning himself to sitting quietly and waiting for it to be over. Meanwhile, the other Imperial forces continued regrouping, attempting to assess full casualty count and damage logs. As soon as Tavos had been cleaned up to the best of the guardsman's ability, he got up, using his multi-tool as a crutch, and wheezed as he accompanied Gebbet and Alexander on their tour to see just how far the casualties extended.

"Sir," Gebbet shook his head as they passed dead body upon dead body, "I don't think this campaign will be as short as we originally thought. We won't be able to take the Morriah Coast for another two, maybe three, days considering all the damage that's been done."

"What's your estimate for the whole campaign?" Alexander poked around through the rubble, checking to make sure all the Chaos forces still remaining were, indeed, dead, "Segmentum Command wants this wrapped up in three or four months. We can't afford setbacks like this happening constantly."

"I don't know, sir," Gebbet confessed, "But at this rate, you're looking at another seven or eight months to push the Chaos, Orks, and the Necrons out - let alone the Eldar and the Space Marines. We can't keep making enemies here, commander. Not the time, and not the place."

"We know the Space Marines won't be yielding any time soon..." Alexander stood, thoughtful, before dismissing the idea, "No... It wouldn't work anyway."

"What wouldn't work, commander?" Gebbet caught his last sentence, suddenly fully aware of the implications it posed, "Sir... surely you're not considering..."

"What other choice do we have, Gebbet?" Alexander tensed up, waiting for the commissar to draw his bolt pistol, but the action never came, "So you agree?"

"I don't like it," he replied, "But we haven't got much of a choice. Do you think the Eldar would respond well to a possible temporary alliance? We could leave it out of our reports to Segmentum Command, and perhaps strike a deal for them to leave the sector as soon as possible so we may secure the world. It's a win-win, assuming those tricky bastards don't try manipulating us into another trap."

"You seem particularly open-minded - especially for a Commissar," Tavos cut it, pausing to cough and wheeze, "But I'm not going to complain. I'll take... xenos... over Chaos forces any day. At least they can be reasoned with, if not to the fullest extent."

"I know Taldeer," Gebbet looked off at the distance, his face grim, "She's a tricky one, but she isn't stupid. If we offer to take the pressure off she'll yield. But we can't be in two places at once - not without compromising our forces and leaving us vulnerable to weakness. We'll have to choose... Chaos, or the Space Marines."

"We're heading down the Morriah Coast anyways," Alexander replied, "Let's mop up Eliphas before he becomes something bigger than an annoyance. If we can't stop him from summoning daemons through those warp gates, we're done."

"Commander," a guardsman ran up to him, "Sir, we've received a message from Brother-Captain Thule. I have it recorded on the vox."

"Play it back," Alexander looked at the vox player, old and worn, in the trooper's hand. The trooper pressed the play button, and the command squad went silent.

"Governor-Militant Lukas Alexander," the recording began, "This is Brother-Captain Davian Thule. This message is a warning to you and your forces. I have marshaled Terminators, Dreadnaughts, and several Land Raiders for use in this campaign. I have my forces poised to eradicate the wretched Eldar off of this planet - and when I am done with them, I am afraid I will have to remove your forces from this continent. You cannot be allowed to interfere with Blood Raven relics and our Chapter's history. If you withdraw your forces within the next three days, I will see to it that your ships leave the system unharmed, and will put in a good word for you with the Chapter. Hopefully, their clout will allow your men to be reassigned to another hot-spot - probably Kaurava - and you can claim glory in the name of the God-Emperor there. I look forward to a peaceful resolution to this conflict. End message."

"Send a vox message to Thule," Alexander's face hardened, "Tell him that this planet is ours - and ours only. If his Space Marines wish to fight, let them fight. We will be ready, and we will destroy them."

The guardsman saluted him and turned to leave.

"Before you go," Alexander tapped the man's shoulder, "Make sure to send word back to Segmentum Command: the relics on Kronus must be fully investigated. Tell them to send for the Inquisition... I fear these relics might be more damning than holy."

As the guard left, Gebbet asked, "Governor, what now? Do we advance?"

"We must," Alexander motioned for the remaining able-bodied men to continue their march, and soon the convoy restarted its slow-paced trudge to the inner battlegrounds of the Morriah Coast, "Eliphas knows we are here. If we retreat, we'll miss out on an opportunity for more resources, and we'll be leaving ourselves open to attack... The only way we can go is forward."

"Of course, sir," Gebbet nodded at Tavos, who got onboard a supply truck to get his lungs looked at. Gebbet himself began marching alongside the troops, congratulating them on a job well done and promising more victories ahead. But he knew that what spouted from his lips were lies - there was no glory to be found on this desecrated rock.

There was only death.

**End Chapter 2  
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**Author's Note: **I've yet to get a review. Please, if you are reading the story, make comments or criticisms about it so I can improve! Thanks for reading!


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